more re Low Frequency Listener (GR 681-682)

[pynchonoid]

For further information, please contact:
Noor Kheir 
The National Physical Laboratory 
noor.kheir at npl.co.uk 
020 8943 6937 
Posted By:
The National Physical Laboratory 

08 September 2003 Giant organ pipes may give listeners
weird experiences – 

Dozens of British churches and cathedrals have organ
pipes that are so long, they produce an extreme bass
sound, known as ''infrasound''. At today''s BA
Festival of Science (8 September, 2003), a team of
researchers reported the results of an innovative
experiment held earlier this year, in which 750
concertgoers were played live music, some of which was
laced with infrasound. Added to the music, infrasound
caused a range of weird effects, even among those who
were unaware of its presence. Strange reactions
included an extreme sense of sorrow, coldness, anxiety
and even shivers down the spine. 

''These results suggest that low frequency sound can
cause people to have unusual experiences, even though
they cannot consciously detect infrasound,'' said
Richard Wiseman, psychologist. ''Some scientists have
suggested that this level of sound may be present at
some allegedly haunted sites and so cause people to
have odd sensations that they attribute to a ghost -
our findings support these ideas.''

''So much has been said about infrasound - it''s been
associated with just about everything from beam
weapons to bad driving. It''s wonderful to be able to
examine the evidence.'' said Sarah Angliss, a composer
and engineer in charge of the project. ''Organ players
have been adding infrasound to the mix for five
hundred years so maybe we''re not the first generation
to be "addicted to bass".''

Notes for editor
1. The experiment took place at the Purcell Room
(South Bank, London) and was conducted by a team of
acousticians, psychologists and musicians. An
impressive, seven-metre long, black infrasound pipe
dominated the auditorium. It was designed by NPL''s
experts to emit frequencies below 20Hz - extreme bass
notes lying on the cusp of human perception. The
Acoustical Metrology Group at NPL were also asked to
advise on the possible implications for subjects
attending the experiment.    

2. During the experiment, 750 concertgoers were asked
to assess their emotional response to four pieces of
music, reporting any unusual experiences and saying if
they thought infrasound was present. People reported
significantly more strange experiences during the
pieces when infrasound was present. Comparing
identical pieces, with and without infrasound,
psychologists confirmed that infrasound boosted these
odd reports by an average of 22 per cent. 

3. The concert, ''Infrasonic'', was the culmination of
the Soundless Music research project, sponsored by the
sciart Consortium. This was conducted by a
multi-disciplinary team, including Sarah Angliss,
composer and acoustic engineer; Dr Richard Lord and
Dan Simmons, physicists from the National Physical
Laboratory; GéNIA, pianist; Ravi Deepres, video artist
and psychologists Ciarán O''Keeffe, Liverpool Hope
University, and Professor Richard Wiseman, University
of Hertfordshire.   

Additional quotes:

Dr Richard Lord, Acoustic Scientist at NPL comments:
''This is a fascinating collaboration between science
and music, applying NPL measurement expertise in an
unusual way.''   Ciarán O''Keeffe, one of the
psychologists coordinating the analysis added: ''The
infrasound generator was specially constructed by NPL
for the performances and is the only one of its kind
in the world. We used well-controlled scientific
methods to evaluate the potential effect these
low-frequency sounds might have on the audience''s
perception of each piece. We had no idea what to
expect - but that is what makes the results so
exciting.'' 

For further details, biographies and information
please visit the website: www.infrasonicmusic.co.uk 

For further information or media enquiries please
contact Lorna Campbell on 01844 338 145
lorna at lornac.demon.co.uk or Noor Kheir on 020 8943
6268/6937, email: press at npl.co.uk. 


Available for interview:

Sarah Angliss: Engineer and composer with an interest
in the scientific and cultural history of infrasound
Telephone: 01273 698809
Mobile: 07811 404894
Email: sarah at infrasonicmusic.co.uk

Ciarán O''Keeffe: Psychologist, specialising in music
psychology and parapsychology
Liverpool Hope University
Telephone: 0151 291 3639
Mobile 07984 954728
Email: ciaran at infrasonicmusic.co.uk

Dr Richard Lord: Acoustic consultant, the National
Physical Laboratory
Telephone: 020 8943 6215
Email: richardlord at infrasonicmusic.co.uk



Prof. Richard Wiseman: Psychologist, specialising in
large-scale public experiments 
and the scientific study of seemingly paranormal
phenomena
Telephone: 01707 284 628
Mobile: 077 909 05219
Email: richardwiseman at infrasonicmusic.co.uk

* Richard Lord, Sarah Angliss and Richard Wiseman will
attend the press conference at the launch of the 2003
BA Festival of Science, which will take place on
Thursday 4th September at 9am at AstraZeneca, 15
Stanhope Gate, London. They will be answering
questions on the results of the Infrasound experiment
and will also be available for short interviews.
Places are limited, so journalists are encouraged to
reserve a place by emailing press at the-ba.net or
calling 020 7973 3172.
Keywords
Physics, Performing arts

...see also:

<http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0309&msg=85492&sort=author>




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